JAPANESE THEATRE By – Sarah F. and Kristin D. Introduction
There are three great types of Japanese theatre, which each have a reason to be famous. One type of Japanese theatre is the Kabuki theatre. Kabuki is the acting theatre, and performs performances with great skill. Another type of theatre is Bunraku. Bunraku is the theatre with live size puppets. Then there is the Noh theatre. The Noh theatre is famous for their expensive masks and great costumes. The three theatres on their own are great, yet together they make the Japanese Theatre. Kabuki Theatre
One of the three types of Japans theatre is Kabuki, the acting theatre. Kabuki is an old type of theatre that was created in the early seventeenth century by a woman named Okuni. Kabuki was meant for the lower classes like merchants, yet individual samurai followed kabuki, and it was not uncommon for a samurai to come to a performance with their head under a basket-like hat, and some samurai had Kabuki actors come to their houses to perform. Kabuki performances are long, and are meant to be funny while still teaching a lesson. Many performances are about ordinary people outsmarting upper class people. Also many performances are performed just as they were 200 years ago, like the famous performance of the Double Suicide. In Kabuki the actors wear beautiful, elaborate costumes with heavy make-up, and exaggerated gestures. Women used to play parts but when the Shogun forbid women from appearing on stage men had to take the women parts which could happen easily. Actors were good enough that men would turn themselves into women not only through their appearance, but also through their voice, and their gestures. It is all the magic of Kabuki and the actors. Kabuki Actors
In Kabuki, the music and costumes are great, but the real talent is the talent shown by the actors. When an actor is young and training, he is backstage full time, watching the performances and observing what the theatre is like. Also training actors can get small parts in the performance to see what performing is like. These small parts can be given to an actor as early as the age of four. An actor matures through years of observations and imitation, observing the theatre to see what it is like and working hard to act like the mature actors. But, even mature actors continue taking lessons on music and dance. When a young actor is learning a part in the performance, some mistakes are not corrected, the actor must figure out what is right or wrong in their observations. The actors wear elaborate costumes with heavy make-up and wigs. Even men were fully capable of turning into women. These actors had amazing skill, yet when thinking of the actors working at Bunraku, that theatre sounds quite amazing as well. The magic of Kabuki is the magic of the Kabuki actors. Bunraku Theatre
One of the three types of theatre is Bunraku. Bunraku became a form of theatre in the 17th century. There are two types of Bunraku the first is Jidaimono which are period plays and the second is called the sewamono which are contemporary plays Bunraku is made up of three elements recitation, music and puppetry. Bunraku is sometimes called the puppet theatre. All of the puppets voices came from the tayu he could make his voice sound like a variety of different things. The people who controlled the puppets are called the Ningyo zukai. There was very little exchange if any between the puppeteers and the tayu while the show is going on. In the 18th century the puppeteers went from being behind a curtain to being on stage as part of the crowd’s entertainment. The recitation is a big part of Bunraku but the biggest part is the puppets. Bunraku Puppets
The puppets are what Bunraku is known for. The puppets that are onstage can range from 1/3 life size to 2/3 life size. The puppets are very elaborately clothed while the puppeteers are dressed in all black some minor puppet characters are smaller than the main characters and one puppeteer can conduct them. The major puppets can weigh up to 50 pounds. The average main character puppet takes three puppeteers to work it. One is for the left arm one is for the right arm and the other is for the feet. These huge puppets are the life of this show but another great type of theatre is Noh. Noh Theatre
Noh is the oldest form of theatre in Japan. Noh was developed in the 14th century. The name Noh means ability or talent. Noh features some mime and styled dance but it is really based on human expression. There is no realism in Noh. It features masks and costumes. Noh plays were usually dramas. In their plays they use fixed gestures called kata. They chanted poetry and the musicians had the flute and drums. Noh characters were usually Humans, ghosts, spirits and demons. The order of events in a Noh production was the intro or jo then development or ha and last was the climax or kyu. By the end of edo period they could do about 250 plays. There were not a lot of props in Noh so the main focus was really the realistic masks that the actors wore. Noh Masks
As Kabuki is the acting theatre, and Bunraku can be known for puppets, the Noh theatre can be known for masks. In the Noh theatre, little scenery is used in the performances, yet they have highly expensive masks. Noh is known for masks and spectacular costumes. When acting, normally an actor does not show one emotion the entire play, actors show different emotions. Therefore, during a performance the mask that and actor is wearing gets changed many times, to show different emotions. Then, sometimes an emotion that is not shown to the audience is a claustrophobic feeling which can come about when wearing the masks. But, the masks were special, in fact some were passed down from generation to generation through families. Kabuki has their actors, Bunraku has their puppets, and Noh has their masks.
Citations: Dunn, Charles James. Everyday life in Traditional Japan. Boston: C E Tuttle Co, 2000.
Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts on File, Inc.. 2006 Kalman, Bobbie. "Japan the Culture." Japanese Theater. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1989. Print Mitchell, John D. and Watanabe, Miyoko. Noh & Kabuki: Staging Japanese Theatre. Key West, FL Inst. For Advanced Studies, 1994. Print
Odijk, Pamela. The Japanese. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver Burdett Press, 1989
By – Sarah F. and Kristin D.
Introduction
There are three great types of Japanese theatre, which each have a reason to be famous. One type of Japanese theatre is the Kabuki theatre. Kabuki is the acting theatre, and performs performances with great skill. Another type of theatre is Bunraku. Bunraku is the theatre with live size puppets. Then there is the Noh theatre. The Noh theatre is famous for their expensive masks and great costumes. The three theatres on their own are great, yet together they make the Japanese Theatre.
Kabuki Theatre
One of the three types of Japans theatre is Kabuki, the acting theatre. Kabuki is an old type of theatre that was created in the early seventeenth century by a woman named Okuni. Kabuki was meant for the lower classes like merchants, yet individual samurai followed kabuki, and it was not uncommon for a samurai to come to a performance with their head under a basket-like hat, and some samurai had Kabuki actors come to their houses to perform. Kabuki performances are long, and are meant to be funny while still teaching a lesson. Many performances are about ordinary people outsmarting upper class people. Also many performances are performed just as they were 200 years ago, like the famous performance of the Double Suicide. In Kabuki the actors wear beautiful, elaborate costumes with heavy make-up, and exaggerated gestures. Women used to play parts but when the Shogun forbid women from appearing on stage men had to take the women parts which could happen easily. Actors were good enough that men would turn themselves into women not only through their appearance, but also through their voice, and their gestures. It is all the magic of Kabuki and the actors.
Kabuki Actors
In Kabuki, the music and costumes are great, but the real talent is the talent shown by the actors. When an actor is young and training, he is backstage full time, watching the performances and observing what the theatre is like. Also training actors can get small parts in the performance to see what performing is like. These small parts can be given to an actor as early as the age of four. An actor matures through years of observations and imitation, observing the theatre to see what it is like and working hard to act like the mature actors. But, even mature actors continue taking lessons on music and dance. When a young actor is learning a part in the performance, some mistakes are not corrected, the actor must figure out what is right or wrong in their observations. The actors wear elaborate costumes with heavy make-up and wigs. Even men were fully capable of turning into women. These actors had amazing skill, yet when thinking of the actors working at Bunraku, that theatre sounds quite amazing as well. The magic of Kabuki is the magic of the Kabuki actors.
Bunraku Theatre
One of the three types of theatre is Bunraku. Bunraku became a form of theatre in the 17th century. There are two types of Bunraku the first is Jidaimono which are period plays and the second is called the sewamono which are contemporary plays Bunraku is made up of three elements recitation, music and puppetry. Bunraku is sometimes called the puppet theatre. All of the puppets voices came from the tayu he could make his voice sound like a variety of different things. The people who controlled the puppets are called the Ningyo zukai. There was very little exchange if any between the puppeteers and the tayu while the show is going on. In the 18th century the puppeteers went from being behind a curtain to being on stage as part of the crowd’s entertainment. The recitation is a big part of Bunraku but the biggest part is the puppets.
Bunraku Puppets
The puppets are what Bunraku is known for. The puppets that are onstage can range from 1/3 life size to 2/3 life size. The puppets are very elaborately clothed while the puppeteers are dressed in all black some minor puppet characters are smaller than the main characters and one puppeteer can conduct them. The major puppets can weigh up to 50 pounds. The average main character puppet takes three puppeteers to work it. One is for the left arm one is for the right arm and the other is for the feet. These huge puppets are the life of this show but another great type of theatre is Noh.
Noh Theatre
Noh is the oldest form of theatre in Japan. Noh was developed in the 14th century. The name Noh means ability or talent. Noh features some mime and styled dance but it is really based on human expression. There is no realism in Noh. It features masks and costumes. Noh plays were usually dramas. In their plays they use fixed gestures called kata. They chanted poetry and the musicians had the flute and drums. Noh characters were usually Humans, ghosts, spirits and demons. The order of events in a Noh production was the intro or jo then development or ha and last was the climax or kyu. By the end of edo period they could do about 250 plays. There were not a lot of props in Noh so the main focus was really the realistic masks that the actors wore.
Noh Masks
As Kabuki is the acting theatre, and Bunraku can be known for puppets, the Noh theatre can be known for masks. In the Noh theatre, little scenery is used in the performances, yet they have highly expensive masks. Noh is known for masks and spectacular costumes. When acting, normally an actor does not show one emotion the entire play, actors show different emotions. Therefore, during a performance the mask that and actor is wearing gets changed many times, to show different emotions. Then, sometimes an emotion that is not shown to the audience is a claustrophobic feeling which can come about when wearing the masks. But, the masks were special, in fact some were passed down from generation to generation through families. Kabuki has their actors, Bunraku has their puppets, and Noh has their masks.
Citations:
Dunn, Charles James. Everyday life in Traditional Japan. Boston: C E Tuttle Co, 2000.
Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts on File, Inc.. 2006
Kalman, Bobbie. "Japan the Culture." Japanese Theater. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1989. Print
Mitchell, John D. and Watanabe, Miyoko. Noh & Kabuki: Staging Japanese Theatre. Key West, FL Inst. For Advanced Studies, 1994. Print
Odijk, Pamela. The Japanese. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver Burdett Press, 1989